


Small Talk

by KellinJoJo



Series: I would know you in the dark [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bar Owner Levi, Disabled Character, Eren Yeager is a Little Shit, M/M, Visually Impaired Erwin Smith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:07:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29422071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KellinJoJo/pseuds/KellinJoJo
Summary: Levi Ackerman is neither a people person nor a small talker. He dislikes the former and hates the latter. Though after a particularly exhausting encounter at his bar he runs into a visually impaired man who apparently isn't smart enough to stay inside at night when he knows he can't see well.Or, the one where Levi owns a bar and Erwin is partially blind and they're waiting at a bus stop.
Relationships: Levi Ackerman/Erwin Smith
Series: I would know you in the dark [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2161371
Comments: 7
Kudos: 97





	Small Talk

**Author's Note:**

> So this came to me on a whim this morning and I had to write it. I'm thinking about making it into a short series going through their relationship so I hope you all enjoy!

Levi Ackerman is not a people person. He really isn’t an anything type of person unless it smells like bleach, tastes like black tea, feels like silk sheets, looks like order, or sounds like silence. Most people would find him to be unpleasant to be around considering his bad attitude, foul mouth, and tasteless sense of humor. Though despite being labeled as a bitter person by most that didn’t stop the occasional person from finding him so interesting at the bar. He was used to dealing with drunken men and tipsy giggling women. Over the years he had learned to pick up on certain actions that show him just how drunk a person was. 

The afternoon had started as it always did. He and Petra had opened up the bar and by 6 PM the usual miserable office workers, alcoholics, bikers, and regulars meandered their way up to the bar for their orders. They told Levi all about their miserable lives, their annoying kids, and their nagging wives. Levi never actually listened and instead he just stood there polishing glasses and nodding occasionally to make it look like he was so interested in the shit they were spewing to him. Usually he would leave in the middle of their complaining to go help another customer, and one would think his attitude wouldn’t leave him many tips but ironically enough customers always tipped Levi incredibly well. He lacked any sort of filter so when he did give his input on the lives of others it usually wasn’t what they wanted to hear...but by the time they were ready to leave most men had built up the courage to discipline their terrible kids and most women had decided to break up with their boyfriends that weren’t good to them. It was always the same thing every night and while it was monotonous Levi was glad that nothing was hardly ever out of the ordinary. 

It was 9 PM when the kid came in. He looked young and Levi had never seen the kid in his bar before so he naturally asked for ID and upon inspection it wasn’t fake like he had thought it would be. It starts with a beer and Levi figures the kid will drink a couple, leave, and be out of his hair. How wrong he was. 

Turns out when the kid drank he got talkative. Too talkative for Levi’s taste. It’s like no matter where Levi goes to get away from the green eyed nuisance he’s always right there entirely too infatuated with him. It grates at his nerves and he can’t remember the last time he had a scowl on his face for this long. Petra has watched the two of them the entire night and she’s tried to get the kid to leave Levi alone by distracting him with conversation but it never comes. Instead he keeps asking Levi questions and overshares too much about his life. He had told Levi that the reason he was here was because of a fight he had with his sister. The kid had also shared that Levi looked an awful lot like his sister but didn’t say anything else after that about the woman. 

It was 11 pm when the last straw finally happened. By this point Levi was three seconds away from tearing the kid apart. His nerves were wearing thin and his jaw was clenched so tight he could feel a headache eating at his temples. His eyes narrowed as he polished a glass entirely too hard as the kid had one again followed him to the other side of the bar in his attempt to get away from his droning. 

The kid, Eren, was about five beers in along with half a glass of whiskey. It was loosely held in his hand as he went on about some guy he worked with that always managed to get on his nerves. Levi was doing his best to shut out the voice but he couldn’t. All he could hear was the voice of the kid go on and on and on about things Levi absolutely did not care about. 

Levi had taken to leaning against the bar as he set the glass aside and then grabbed the next one to polish. He wasn’t paying attention to the kid next to him and missed the movement of his arm. Though he couldn’t mistake the feeling of fingertips brushing against the ends of his hair and ever so lightly brushing against the bone of his cheek. He stiffened and the glass fell from his hands and shattered on the ground. The sound echoed in his ears and it must have been loud enough to scare Eren because he dropped his glass on the bar shattering it as well. The whiskey in the glass seeped over the bar and managed to get mostly on Levi considering he was leaning right where the glass fell. His eyes snapped up and before he could catch himself he had the kid by the collar of his shirt. 

Wide green eyes were staring right at him and Levi had to make sure that he didn’t punch him in his face. Levi took a deep inhale before letting him go and then shoving him back, “you need to leave right now.” He leaves it at that as Petra comes over to make sure everything was okay. Luckily Eld had come in thirty minutes ago because Levi wasn’t sticking around after that. Eren left money on the counter before grabbing his jacket and leaving. Levi took a few deep breaths before looking to Petra.

“I’m leaving,” he said with a tone of finality, “be sure the place is clean before you and Eld close up because I’ll be looking tomorrow.” The woman only nodded before turning to grab a broom to sweep up the glass so no one would step on it. The alcohol that stuck to his white shirt made him cringe at the smell and he could still feel where Eren’s fingers had touched him. It made a shiver go down his spine and he had to count backwards from ten and breathe like his therapist had told him to when he was touched by strangers. 

Once he was calmer and more level headed he made sure things were handled before heading to the back office to grab his jacket before heading out. It was getting later and while he held a great disgust for public transportation, he was too tired to walk back to his apartment. He was going to have to take a shower long enough and hot enough to wash the alcohol off along with the lingering feeling of fingers on his skin so taking the bus wouldn’t cause much more damage. 

When he exited the bar he felt the brisk wind hit his face and make him wish he had brought a thicker jacket. He ducked a little further into his leather jacket and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. Occasionally he passed people but like him they were all in a hurry to get to the warmth of their homes considering it would only get colder as the night progressed. He hadn’t checked the time when he left the bar but he figured that it had to be nearing midnight or just now passing it. At least he got to leave early though technically he didn’t even have to come in since it was his bar.

It wasn’t long before he could see the bus stop but honestly he had no idea when the next one was coming by. Levi hardly ever took public transport and either walked everywhere or took his motorcycle. Though he figured it had to be sometime soon considering there was a man already seated on the bench looking down at his phone. By the time Levi made it to the covered bench he could make out more of the man. 

He looked tall and broad but in a more natural sense. The man was also dressed like he had been somewhere important considering he was wearing a pair of Oxfords, khaki slacks, and a white collared shirt under a Navy sweater. He wasn’t dressed to the nines by any means but he still looked entirely too presentable to be sitting at a bus stop at midnight. Levi moved his gaze away considering he didn’t want to look weird and instead took a seat on the bench with a huff. He leaned back into the bench, legs stretching out in front of him and head leaning back. With another light sigh he let his eyes slip shut so he could just relax while waiting for the bus to arrive. 

“Rough night?” 

The voice comes eventually and it nearly startled Levi but he was glad that he didn’t react in a way that showed it outwardly. He opens an eye and looks out of his peripheral vision to the only person who could have spoken to him. The blond guy next to him isn’t looking at him but rather looking somewhere behind him and squinting like his life depended on it. It’s odd and he’s hoping that this guy isn’t some weirdo. After dealing with that brat at the bar he couldn’t handle anything else. Though for a moment he finds himself caught up in how blue the guy’s eyes are. Sure he’s squinting but Levi couldn’t miss the bright blue that was looking somewhere in his direction. Eventually the man seems to look around for something before turning his gaze back to the phone in his hand. 

Levi clicks his tongue before closing the eye once more, “Guess you could say that. How’d you know?” He isn’t sure why he’s entertaining conversation when he could have just offered the guy a brisk ‘fuck off’. 

“You reek of whiskey,” comes the reply barely a beat later and it makes Levi’s eyes open. His gaze narrows as he looks to the man and then down to his own shirt that he had forgotten was half covered in alcohol. Great. Now this guy probably figured he was some bumbling alcoholic. The man doesn’t look at him as he squints down at his phone and slowly types something out. Levi can’t tell if this guy needs glasses or if he’s just really bad with technology.

“It isn’t mine,” he defends and crosses his arms over his chest, “some brat spilled it on me at my bar.” His response is tense as he assesses the man’s reaction. Blondie stalls for a moment before a light smile curls on his lips and he’s turning his eyes right back to Levi though this time he’s looking at him rather than behind him. He’s still squinting and Levi wants to know why he’s doing that. Despite the eyes being trained on him Levi still gets the feeling that the man isn’t actually looking at him….more like in his direction and right through him. 

“Sorry to hear that then,” a chuckle falls from his lips and for a brief moment Levi wants to hear that sound again, “though I smell a lot of alcohol on you. So I’m assuming by your earlier response of ‘my bar’...you actually own the establishment.” Levi rolls his eyes at the man’s statement, “Why else would I use the word my if it wasn’t mine?” His response is quick and sharp in a way that probably would have rubbed most people the wrong way but with this guy he just gives another chuckle before nodding, “I suppose you’re right.”

There’s a bit of silence between them and Levi goes back to looking at the streets to see if the bus is nearing them. It isn’t. He hears tapping next to him and he flickers his gaze to see the man lightly tapping at the screen of his phone as his eyes trained across the street. He’s still squinting. 

“Did you forget your glasses or something?” The question comes out before he can catch himself and instantly he wants to bite his tongue clean off. He can see the man stiffen a bit before relaxing and then looking to Levi. He stares for a moment and then shakes his head, a smile gracing his lips. 

“Ah...no,” he starts and Levi can see the hint of a blush creeping up from under the collar of the dress shirt he’s wearing, “I’m blind- well, not totally blind but I will be in some odd years.” He says the statement so casually it catches Levi off guard. His own eyes widen and in that moment he feels so incredibly stupid. It made since now that he knew this guy was partially blind...considering it felt like he was never actually looking at Levi and rather behind him or right through him. 

“Sorry, that might have been a tad bit of oversharing,” blondie taps a foot nervously and Levi just clears his throat and holds back the urge to shrug since he now knows the other won’t see the gesture, “But I’m usually never outside at night since I have night blindness with my condition so truthfully I can’t really see much. You speaking gave me a better idea of where you were sitting.” Levi listens intently and chews on his lip as he tries to think of something to say to the man. 

Small talk was never something Levi was never good at so in turn he hated it. It felt stupid to sit there and talk about shit that really didn’t matter to either party but he figured that since he had no clue what time the bus would arrive he could just talk about something that mattered...and the blond’s condition seemed interesting enough. Finally he hummed and went to speak, “So what’s the condition? You seem content to overshare so I figure you won’t mind talking about it then?” 

Blondie gives another one of those chuckles that makes Levi’s chest vibrate and he nods before leaning back into the bench. He seems more relaxed now that they’re talking and Levi found himself wondering if this guy had been sitting here worried about someone hurting him. He said he couldn’t see at night so that meant he was probably sitting here on high alert for a while and now that they were having a decent conversation it seemed like he was relaxing a bit. 

“It’s called Retinitis Pigmentosa,” he explained, “I was born with it considering it’s a genetic condition but basically the cells in my retinas get damaged and destroyed over time. I’m twenty-eight now and my condition has progressed rather quickly...so I have night blindness which means I can’t really see well at night since obviously it’s darker and without adequate light it’s harder for me to make out things. Though aside from that I’m not totally blind. During the day I can’t see out of my peripherals and there are other things but I imagine you probably don’t want to hear some partially blind guy drone on about his lack of sight.” 

In all honesty Levi was incredibly interested in hearing more about this guy. He found that he liked listening to him speak and it was a nice way to take his mind off of the incident from earlier. He wondered just how much this guy could actually see but decided against it since they were strangers. 

“So what do you do?” He decided on with an actual genuine interest. It isn’t everyday you meet someone who is in the blind category. Blondie just gives a hum of acknowledgment before clearing his throat, “Well most people probably think that blind people don’t do much but I’m working on a doctorate degree at the moment, so to answer your question I’m working on that and teaching at the university as well. I can still see pretty well.” 

Levi notices he tacks the last statement on as a means to probably defend himself. He just nods before watching as a car pulls up to the curb and not a second later the window is rolled down and a man is shouting out the window, “Erwin! I’m here so let’s go before you freeze to death.” The man is blond as well and looks less than amused to have to come find a blind man at midnight. The man, Erwin, just lifts a hand to wave him off before he stands up. 

He’s taller than Levi had originally thought and he watches as he squints towards the car before then looking back to Levi, “Well...thank you for keeping me company while I waited. I hope you make it home alright.” 

Erwin seems to look for a long moment towards the car and then takes a slow step. Once more all Levi can do is roll his eyes before he stands up and places a hand up on the guy’s shoulder and starts to walk with him to the car. For a moment he shocks himself as they walk towards the car and then he opens the door of said car, “If you know you’re blinder at night why the hell go out at night, dubmass.” He sucks on his teeth as he looks up at the blond and watches the amused smile stretch onto those lips yet again. 

“Now you sound like Mike,” he nods towards the man sitting in the driver's seat who is watching the two of them with rapt attention, “but you’re right. Thank you for helping me considering you didn’t have to do that though I guess helping is better than watching me trip.” 

For a moment he just stands there and huffs lightly before gently shoving the man towards the passenger seat, “Just...get in the car.” Erwin does as he’s told and slides easily into the seat and Levi is standing with his hand on the door getting ready to shut it. He sees blue eyes turn to look at him and for the first time it feels more like Erwin is looking at him...though Levi knows he probably can’t even really see him. Levi hesitates for a moment before he clenches his jaw and then releases it. 

“My bar,” he begins and looks off to the side for a moment, “it’s called Magnolia’s so if you’re ever in need of a nightcap after a day of teaching those shitty kids then you can find me there.” Erwin is quiet for a moment as he seems to commit the information to memory before nodding. 

“I suppose I can drop by,” he smiles, “think you can at least tell me your name before leaving?” 

The smile on his face turns hopeful and it’s enough to make warmth spread through Levi’s chest but with a grun he simply clicks his tongue and tries to ignore it, “Come by the bar and maybe I will.” He shuts the door right after and watches as a look of mild confusion form on Erwin’s face before it morphs into some sort of mild excitement at the challenge. He can feel Mike’s eyes on him and then soon enough the car peels away and drives down the street. Levi stands there and watches the tail lights of the car get further and further away until he can no longer see them. He’s left there on the sidewalk with a weird feeling in his chest but he doesn’t have long to dwell on it before he hears the sound of the bus pull up not long after. The doors open and he steps up onto it and puts the fare in the little bucket before taking a seat. He’s hopeful but doesn’t let it consume him since he really doesn’t even know the man other than what he’s just been told...though he does let himself hope just the slightest bit.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a kudos or comment :') If there are any suggestions or comments please don't hesitate to share them so I can make this more enjoyable!


End file.
